Tales of the Badger Sett
by yellow 14
Summary: Written for the Summer 2013 Wizarding Modly Forum-Wide Comp of Awesomeness on the HPFC. A series of various oneshots and drabbles
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own in any way, shape or form.

AN: This little collection was for the The Summer 2013 Wizarding Modly Forum-Wide Comp of Awesomeness on the HPFC. This week: History of Magic. Option b. Pass notes to your classmates. Tell a story entirely through letters/notes/articles/textbooks etc - no normal narrative allowed! Stipulation: include a Slytherin character at some point, either as a mere mention or one of the main characters. Even Professor Scrunchy will catch you passing notes if you aren't sneaky enough! Maximum word count is 1,200 words.

AN2: For each of the three protagonists, I've used a different font. For Scorpius **I've used bold. **For Rose, I've used normal type and for _Albus I've used italics. _Rose and Scorpius are both Ravenclaws in this and Albus is in Slytherin.

**Rose, have you given any more thought to my suggestion?**

No

**Come on Rose, you know it'll be fun:D**

I am NOT, stress NOT going to try and determine the sex of the Giant Squid. Have you seen the size of that thing? What could you possibly say to me that would make me want to do this?

**Phfft. Rose, this is ME we're talking about. It'll be perfectly safe. It's not like the Giant Squid is dangerous after all. It's the most docile creature here at Hogwarts.**

How docile do you think he will be if we start prodding him? And of course it's you. THAT'S why I have my doubts. I still remember the last time you said it would be perfectly safe. I still remember Fluffy the fire beetle.

**You DID startle him Rose. I'm sure he didn't mean to set your bed on fire. **

With me in it!

**Well you did get out before anything happened. And I did help put the fire out. Besides, it's nothing like that. I'm not trying to get a new pet, I just want to answer a question.**

Isn't there a spell you can cast? Or a book? Books are good. Less likely to bite.

**I don't think the Giant Squid even has teeth.**

Why does that not fill me with confidence?

**I can't say I know. I can't do the charm that will tell me the Giant Squid's sex. It's picked up so much magic at Hogwarts, gets in the way. And nobodies bothered to record it either.**

_If you two lovebirds would care to pay attention to the class, Professor Nott is looking our way._

We're NOT lovebirds! Distrat him, he's YOUR head of house!

_How do I 'distrat someone?_

Albus, I know you're my cousin and everything, but you can be really annoying at times. You know what I meant.

**ASP, Professor Nott is giving me the evil eye.**

_Probably something to do with the fact that two of his Ravenclaw students are passing notes in class._

Probably because you think I'm more amendable to a bad idea in potions class.

**Rose!? That note was for ASP!**

Credit me with some intelligence. Why isn't he giving you the evil eye Al? You're passing notes too.

_I've already finished the potion. AND he wants me to be ready for the Ravenclaw/Slytherin match tomorrow._

**Please Rose, have I ever asked you to do something you thought was a bad idea?**

Yes

**But you always came around to my way of thinking.**

_Is Scorpius trying to get you involved with another one of his crazy ideas Rose._

**I only want to see what sex the Ginat Squid is ASP. Rosie's not being nice**** Do you want to help me instead?**

_Scorpius, I come under the category of sane. And I'm too much of a coward to get involved._

I'm not a coward! Scorpius, I'm in.

_Presumably after you get out of the detention Professor Nott has just given you._

**It'll be something to look forward too, for when we get out.**

Not. Really. Encouraging.

**Come on Rose. Don't you want to know?**

Well, I suppose…could be fun.

**Of course it'll be fun!**

Fine. See you after dinner then…

_Professor Nott, I think I can safely say that there's a good chance Rose WON'T be playing against me. _

**Rose will be fine with me. I honestly don't see why you're so convinced she'll get hurt.**

_I'm not even answering that one._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Read the first page.

AN: This week, I have decided to use **Strategy 1****:** Defend. Use protection and barrier magicks to drive back Dark forces and to keep yourself and others from harm. Write a story about a character defending another character from something, e.g. a Dark creature, bullies, untrue (or, perhaps, true) rumours... anything that that character might need defending from counts.

"Israeli Uzi sub-machine gun. Nine-millimetre Parabellum calibre round. Muzzle velocity of three-hundred-and-ninety metres per second. Cyclic rate six hundred rounds per minute. Effective range of two hundred metres. Weight, three-point-five kilograms. Open bolt mechanism." Louis Weasley stated in a cold, dispassionate voice, almost as though he was merely a machine and not a wizard with an almost unhealthy interest in these bizarre muggle wands called guns and currently staring down at a couple of balaclava wearing men holding said weapons.

"So you know what it's called," Fred said as he rolled his eyes. "Very clever. Can they hurt us?"

Louis resisted the urge to roll his eyes and one of the men sneered.

"Don't play dumb with us! Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Well that's an interesting question…" Fred began in his charm voice, the one he used to persuade people that he really was on their side. "You see, my cousin and I were climbing that tree out there," he gestured to the tree branches overhead, "when the branch we were climbing broke and we fell through your ceiling the way that we did."

(Not entirely accurate. In fact they had been stunt flying their brooms overhead despite the risk of being seen and had managed to crash into the tree before falling through the roof. It was perhaps fortunate that their brooms had since flown off on their own.)

"Sounds reasonable," the other man said. "I told you we should have posted guards outside as well."

"We can't risk it. What if they're coppers? We'll have to move. Now," the first man said swiftly, before looking at the two boys and raising his weapon. "Chances are, you're telling the truth. Coppers don't normally recruit teenagers. But I won't take that chance. Sorry kids, it's just business."

All the time the man was talking though, Louis had been slowly sliding towards one of the opened crates behind him. His hand slowly clasped a small round object behind him.

"Wait!" he cried out and the man paused momentarily. Taking advantage of his hesitation, Louis pulled his hand out from behind him to reveal a small, round object of dark green and a lever attached to it. He slid the pin out. "This is an American M67 grenade. It's armed and dangerous and if you kill us, it'll go off in here." Louis quickly looked around at the tightly packed boxes in the cramped grey building. "Now I'm guessing that if it goes off in this warehouse, then the resulting explosion would turn this place into a crater. You don't want that."

"Nice try kid," the man chuckled. "But we don't ship out live grenades. It's not even armed."

"Get on with it Piers!" the second man snapped, but Louis's stalling had brought them time, time that Fred had not wasted.

"Stupefy!" he yelled and a flash of red left his wand to strike the first man in the chest. The second man snapped up his gun, even as his colleague fell down, but as he squeezed the trigger, a hand grenade smacked him on the side of the head and knocked him out.

"That," Fred said after what seemed like an eternity as he let out a long breath, "was FAR too close. What are we going to do now?"

"Now I think we need to call the muggle police," Louis replied as he pulled out a mobile phone from one of the men's pockets and with a proficiency that belied his wizarding background, he dialled nine-nine-nine.

"Are you nuts? Mum will KILL us if she finds out what we've been doing!" Fred exclaimed and Louis gave his cousin a devious smirk.

"Not if they-" he gestured at the two unconscious men, "don't remember anything and we're not here."

"I knew there was something I liked about you," Fred replied with a smirk and the two boys quickly wiped the men's memories. By the time the police arrived, all they found was a couple of gun runners in a warehouse full of weapons who couldn't remember what happened to them.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do we REALLY need to say it?

AN: Written for Astronomy. This week, I have chosen b. you're having trouble identifying some stars even with a Black helping you. Your Task: Write a fic where a character struggles in a class and another character helps them out. Stipulation: The two characters must be rivals.

Molly Weasley the second frowned as she looked at her star map again. Everything was all wrong. The angles of the stars didn't make sense and were in the wrong places. In short, everything was a disaster for this class. Not that this was particularly unusual state of affairs for Molly Weasley when it came to astronomy. Simply put, it was as though she couldn't see what was supposed to be right under her nose. Even when every other student in the class could see the planets and the stars, they eluded Molly's comprehension.

Looking up from her telescope, Molly spotted something else to make her frown. Her cousin Lily Luna Potter was flirting with Maria Flange, a tall black girl who they both happened to be crushing on. Well, it was just a crush for Lily, Molly had no doubt about that, but for Molly, it was love. With a sniff of annoyance, she walked over to the two girls with a smile plastered on her face.

"Hi Lily. Do you mind if I borrow Maria for a bit?" she asked cheerfully and Maria shook her head.

"I need to check that I've got the position of the stars right," she said, before putting her hand on Lily's shoulder. "But I'm sure Lily can help you."

"Yeah, of course," Lily said without a hint of rancour. "That's what family do, right?"

"Thanks Lily," Molly replied and she led her cousin over to her table.

"What the hell was that all about?" Lily hissed as soon as they sat down and Molly smiled.

"Why I'm having trouble with my astronomy and I wanted to be helped by the best student in the class," she replied sweetly and Lily scowled.

"Well what are you having trouble with then?" she asked and Molly waved her hand over her star map.

"I can't make this chart match up with what's supposed to be there," Molly explained and Lily frowned.

"Are you sure? It should match up perfectly," she said with a puzzled expression, but Molly remained defiant.

"I'm telling you, it's not right!" she insisted, gesturing with her hands at her telescope. "Go and see for yourself!"

Lily gave Molly a disbelieving look, before putting her eye to the telescope. After a few moments, she stepped back and gave Molly a bemused look.

"It helps," she said in a long-suffering voice, "if you have the telescope FACING the RIGHT way."

"Oh," Molly said with an embarrassed blush. "That would explain it."

"Yes that would," Lily replied with a slight growl. "Now is there anything else you need help with?" she asked sardonically. "Perhaps you need to know which end to look through as well?"

"Well as you're here…"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Chapter 4, not chapter one. Surely you get it by now?

AN: Written for The Summer 2013 Wizarding Modly Forum-Wide Comp of Awesomeness. This week it is charms and I have gone with option c. You fail miserably, and manage to accidentally cast an Incendio charm, setting Professor Allie's hair on fire. She's mad, your classmates are mad, and you're disappointed. Your first day in class, the new kid, and you've already managed to mess up! Your Task: Write an angst fic. As long as it's angsty angst angst, anything goes. Stipulation: If choosing this option, PM Professor Allie for prompts so that you can clean up the mess you made! You will receive five prompts and must use three of them. Prompts are forever, tea, strawberries, again, agony

Strawberries.

Of all the things to set her off into another trip into one of her…fits, she never expected it to be the smell of strawberries. She looked down at the innocuous little red fruits, so red and juicy and promising. Just the way that they used to love them, sharing a big bowl of them together. And now they were all dead, their names nothing more than painful memories and scratches on stone and words on paper. No wonder it set her off.

Of course, back then they thought they were invincible. Fourteen years old and convinced they would live forever, like so many of their fellow teenagers. Back then, they expected to survive with barely a scratch, maybe a few minor wounds. They never expected to die. At least, not for a very long time. That was meant to happen to other people, faceless and unknown. People that weren't supposed to register in the grand scheme of things. It was selfish and shallow of them, she would admit, but then it had seemed inevitable.

Now the only forever they would know is that they would be forever lost to the world.

Excusing herself from her table in the Great Hall, she quickly slipped out and found herself an empty classroom. It seemed like the perfect place. She took out her secret razor blade and in moments she could feel her blood oozing out of her. It was destructive and painful and she knew it was a bad habit, but she still kept cutting. It hurt, the blade, the bleeding, but it was nothing compared to the agony of losing every single person she cared about. That was an agony beyond any cut or curse.

Straightening up, she stood up and cured her cuts. She couldn't completely cure them, but she could hide them away and stop the bleeding. Cutting yourself again and again meant that the healing magic would become less and less effective, but given a choice between the cutting and the memories, she would always pick the cutting. At least that didn't have you crying into your tea as you sat there paralysed with grief. At least it FELT like you were alive. At least it didn't draw pitying glances. And at least it didn't hurt as badly.

AN: Yes, I deliberately didn't mention who it was as an experiment in style. Do you think it works?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Read page one

AN: Written for the subject Potions. This week I have selected option **b.** No one is there? Huh? Write about something being cancelled, about someone having a misunderstanding, about someone or something not being where they should be, about someone getting lost, a mix-up, or just a generally mysterious situation. Stipulation: there must be a juicy twist at the end. Squeeze the juice out until none is left - your professor doesn't appreciate wastage! Ingredients: begin, order, "I thought I knew...", end.

"I thought you said you knew your way around this building!" Albus said in an exasperated voice as they turned down yet another long corridor that seemed to go on forever and Rose rolled her eyes.

"No," Rose began in a long-suffering voice, "I said I THOUGHT I knew my way around this building." She paused and looked at the paintings that were looking down on them with barely concealed contempt. "Perhaps there's some kind of order as to how these paintings are set up."

"And you said we didn't need help finding out way around Malfoy Manor," Albus continued huffily. "Honestly, they'll end up having to begin without us."

"It's not that bad!" Rose protested and Albus tapped his watch. Rose responded by giving him one of her killer glares. "Anyway, we could hardly ask Scorpius the way to his surprise birthday party now, could we?"

There was a snort from one of the paintings and both teenagers turned to face the culprit, a man with a look of distain on his face and the distinct Malfoy sneer.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when a lowly Weasley and Potter would grace this hallowed sanctum of Malfoy purity," he said contemptuously and Rose pulled out her wand. Thankfully Albus pulled her hand down. The man sneered again and stared down his nose at them. "Hmph! At least one of you has the sense to appreciate a genuine piece of art."

"And as a piece of art, you HAVEN'T lived to see a Weasley in these hallowed halls of Malfoy purity," another painting snapped at him angrily, this time a woman with long blonde hair. She looked at the two teenagers and smiled. "Now where are you looking for in the manor?"

"You cannot be seri-" the other man started, be the woman silenced him with a glare and she looked back down at the two teenagers.

"We need to find the main ball room," Albus said quickly as Rose glared up at the first portrait who had spoken. A smile crossed the woman's face and she straightened up.

"I'll be happy to help you. Just go down to the end of the corridor," the woman gestured to her left in the direction they had been going, "then turn left and keep going until you reach the fountain. Turn right there and you can't miss it."

"Thanks for the help," Albus said as he dragged Rose along.

"Yeah, thanks," she said somewhat belatedly and the lady smiled.

"How long do you think it will take them to realise you sent them the wrong way?" another portrait asked and the lady smiled with amusement.

"Oh I'm sure they'll figure it out in the end. At least, when they end up stuck outside Malfoy Manor," she said with amusement and she laughed. "You see, there are far more Slytherin ways of getting rid of unwanted guests."

At this, the man stood up tall, looking flustered and the lady laughed again.

AN: And that folks, is why you never ask for directions from the portraits in Malfoy Manor ;D


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See CH1.

AN: Written for the subject Flying. This week I have chosen option C) a natural! After seeing the number of experienced students in the class, Professor Nami decided to let them play some Quidditch! You're confidently dominating the pitch when a Bludger comes hurtling your way. Thanks to your quick instincts, you manage to barely dodge it. Your Task: Write a 1,000 word fic in less than a day. Stipulation: If you take this option, you must reply to this thread within the next 24 hours, after which Professor Nami will PM you three prompts. You must write a fic with at least one of those prompts and submit it within 24 hours of the PM's sending time. Owing to the fact that Professor Nami has not responded at all to my requests, my prompts are from Professor Allie instead.

It started, somewhat predictably enough, as a rumoured means of controlling the creature inside the Chamber of Secrets. In Theodore Nott's second year, there were what seemed like millions of such rumours. Supposedly, it would only answer to a Slytherin who was pure in blood. And with each telling of the story, its powers grew greater and greater. Soon it became known amongst the younger Slytherin students as a magical treasure in the same league as the famous Sorting Hat and the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw.

For Theodore Nott, he preferred to dismiss such rumours. The rumour mill at Hogwarts was notoriously unreliable and he preferred to check with his own sources on such matters.

But in his seventh year, he found himself revisiting this one rumour again and again. Unlike most rumours of the time, this one persisted in the deepest depths of the Slytherin dungeon. By this time its powers were supposedly legendary. It would give the one who possessed it the very powers of Salazar Slytherin himself and all the knowledge contained within could with entire wars in mere minutes.

At least, that's what the rumours said. Personally, Theo didn't think it was as powerful or amazing as the rumours claimed it was. Like many such stories, it had no doubt gained many an embellishment along the way, while other, subtler details had no doubt been forgotten or twisted beyond recognition. But the basic story itself had turned up time and again in the rumour mill at Hogwarts throughout history. Theodore's own grandmother claimed to have heard an almost identical rumour when she was at Hogwarts. And in the diaries of some of his ancestors, he found yet more references to this rumour. It was a small thing, something always seen by someone else. In fact, it barely registered at all. Unlike Salazar's infamous Chamber of Secrets, this object had left no mark on history save a few minor rumours. Indeed, Theo wouldn't have even given it a second thought had it not been for one thing.

He was desperate.

He was desperate for the power to protect the boy that he loved.

Falling in love was a pretty stupid thing to do in Theodore Nott's opinion. It was even more stupid to fall in love with someone as headstrong and impulsive as most Gryffindorks. And it was insanely stupid to fall in love with someone who should have been classed as the enemy. But, despite himself, Theodore Nott had indeed fallen in love with someone who his father would at the very least class as unsuitable and at worse; result in both Theo's death and the death of his lover. The sensible thing would have been to simply forget him. Walk away and never come back. But he couldn't even do that. No, Terry Boot had managed to seep into his very soul. Theo could no more cut himself off from Terry than he could cut out his own soul.

And so, it came down to this. Theodore Nott was searching for an item he had long dismissed as a myth. It was none other than the legendary Green Book of Salazar Slytherin. If Theodore's younger self could have seen him, he probably would have laughed. Indeed, more than once, Theo wondered why he was engaging in such a stupid, probably pointless quest, especially for love. And then he would look into Terry's beautiful brown eyes or Terry would say something or even a memory would surface and his resolve hardened once more.

He needed the power of that book and he needed it before Terry did something that got himself killed. And with the Carrows and Snape running Hogwarts and the Dark Lord running the country, it seemed almost inevitable that he would go too far. The only way could save him was to find a way of making himself powerful enough to bargain with. To be too powerful for the Dark Lord to just destroy at will and too invaluable to be a threat.

Which led him back to Salazar's Green Book. If it was even only a fraction as powerful as the rumours claimed, then it would be enough.

He started, quite logically with the Slytherin dungeons, something that would have no doubt amused Terry and his Ravenclaw friends no end. Not surprisingly, it turned up nothing of use and Theo would have been surprised if it ever did. The book, after all, was meant to be hidden away from even Salazar Slytherin's fellow Founders. It would have been little use hiding clues in a logical place, especially with Rowena Ravenclaw's formidable intellect, reasoning and logic. No, it would be hidden somewhere that only a Slytherin would thing of, something devious.

And then it hit him. What he really needed to do was think like the Slytherin he was and not like a Ravenclaw. He gave himself a shake and told himself that he really was getting infected with too much Ravenclaw. Standing up, he began to think about what he would do as a Slytherin. Sitting back in his chair, he closed his allowed his mind to wonder. Maybe…suddenly it hit him. In the corner of the Slytherin common room was a painting that didn't really stand out in any way except for one detail.

It had a lion in it. Granted it was very small, but it was the sort of detail that most Slytherin's would never have placed in their common room. Standing up, he slipped over to the painting and began to examine it more closely. There was nothing to suggest that it was any different from any other painting in the room. All it was, was a collection of animals who were supposed to be on some sort of boat. The lions were in the background, tiny things that barely registered a glance to the average viewer. Fortunately, Theodore Nott was not your average viewer. For a moment, he allowed himself to wonder if he had in fact picked the wrong starting point before deciding to try something.

Pulling out a needle, he pricked his thumb and gave it a small squeeze. A small puddle of blood appeared and he pressed it against the lion. Then there was a sudden whoosh sound and suddenly Theo found himself in what appeared to a green hallway with black markers on the walls. With a touch of uncertainty, Theodore slowly edged his way down the corridor, his eyes tracking every single possible point at which he could run into a booby trap of some kind. He really wouldn't be surprised if the founder of his house didn't want his Green Book to be found at all. However he reached the end of the corridor without encountering anything at all. Instead, there was a small table with some writing carved into it. Writing, that proved to be on closer examination, a riddle from Salazar Slytherin himself.

_If you seek my great tome,_

_Answer this riddle you must, _

_What you seek can be found,_

_In a place that you can catch but not throw,_

_With a guard that has hands but cannot clap,_

_Found in a time when something is round only once._

Theo frowned at the riddle. It was the sort of play on words that Terry would enjoy with fellow Ravenclaws. But Terry wasn't here and Theo had no intention of telling him. There were some things best kept within the family and this was one of them. He frowned and worked his way through the riddle piece at a time.

The first part reminded him of something he had heard a long time ago. He frowned as he dug deep into his memory. It was on the edge of his tongue and suddenly it hit him. Terry had given him a book of riddles as a present, something to get him interested. The subject matter of the book itself was of no real interest to Theo, so much as who it came from and Theo read every page. It reminded him of an old riddle in the book. What can you catch but not throw? The answer was simple. A cold. So the book was hidden somewhere particularly cold, possibly the dungeon? But where? He returned his attention to the rest of the riddle.

A guard with hands that cannot clap. Theo pondered the words for a while, before looking at his watch and the answer hit him like a bolt from the blue. A CLOCK had hands that couldn't clap. And there was only one clock in the Slytherin dungeons that could be counted as any sort of guardian.

Unfortunately, the riddle also stated that it would only be available during a specific time and Theo didn't have any idea what that time was. Writing the riddle down on a spare piece of parchment, he left the table and walked back down the corridor. When he emerged from the painting, it seemed like virtually no time had passed at all and nobody had noticed his absence at all. Perhaps it was the magic that guarded the corridor. It was certainly impressive and Theo had no doubt that it meant that Salazar's book was equally impressive.

It wasn't until he slipped up to the Ravenclaw tower that the last part of the riddle made sense. Shining into the tower was an almost full moon. He cuddled himself up closer to his boyfriend, who murmured reassuringly. It was a full moon tomorrow. The riddle meant a full moon. And it was a full moon tomorrow. He was determined not to miss it.

The day passed slowly and at times it seemed like time had stopped, but eventually the time had come and Theo was ready. He regretfully turned down Terry's invitation to join him in the Ravenclaw tower and made his way to the clock. It was a tall, imposing item, covered in magical sigils that seemed to jump out at the viewer. As the moon reached its highest point, the clock seemed to begin to glow with magic, a magic that soon enveloped Theo as well and once again he found himself in a small green corridor not dissimilar to the one he was in earlier. With the same caution he walked down it to the end, but this time there was something different. A door of deepest black stood in front of him and for a moment he assessed it. Pulling out his wand, he found no sign of magical activity and he gently pushed the door open. Inside was another small table with writing on it.

"Do you seek my great work, the Green Book?" the table said, before chuckling. "It never existed. Did I fool you, young wizard of my house? Seek your glory and power elsewhere, for you are a Slytherin!"

Theo hit a wall. After all his work, it turned out that the legendary Green Book of Salazar Slytherin was in fact nothing more than a bored founder's practical joke. And now, Terry's best chance of surviving the year depended on the hope that a boy no older than Theo. He wasn't optimistic and he vowed to make the best of the time they had left together.

Of course, he didn't realise that was going to be for many years yet, Terry's future and the futures of hundreds of others when Harry defeated Voldemort.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See my opening page for Merlin's sake!

AN: This week, the round is emergency duelling. _Ten Prompts:_ Heat, determined, box, charm, first impression, see, 21st, wall, uneasy silence, fight

Colour: Purple Instructions below.

If you have been PMed the colour **purple**, you have won the duel and get to go back to your Common Room. The good news is that you aren't injured so you only have to use **two** of the prompts above. The bad news is that you have to serve detention with Professor McGonagall and she wants you to write lines, meaning you must use a certain sentence at least five times in your story. You also have to use one of the following genres: friendship, family, hurt/comfort, drama.

Wand: Kelpie Hair core and elm wood. +3 points.

The silence was deafening.

The Gryffindor Common room, normally so alive with the sounds of students when it was this crowded. Indeed, the only time the Common room was this crowded was during parties. But this was not a normal situation and the atmosphere was more like that of a funeral than a celebration.

Perhaps it was because Gryffindors were supposed to be brave and noble that they had suffered so many casualties, had so many people willing to fight. Or maybe it was because Harry Potter was one of theirs and their hero in so many ways. Whatever the reason, the Gryffindor Common room was filled with people who had lost friends and family alike.

To Dennis Creevey, it didn't matter. The common room could be a noisy, jam-packed room full of cheer and he still wouldn't have noticed. Instead, he just sat on a hard chair staring at the wall and wishing that his brother were here to help. Just to hear his voice again, that would be enough.

But that wasn't going to happen. Colin was dead, killed fighting for Harry Potter and his cause. Colin, the big brother who Dennis adored and looked up to. And now….Dennis wasn't sure he could cope.

"Hey, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked and he raised his head. Looking at him with dirt on her face and a look of concern, was Hermione Granger.

"Oh. Hi Hermione," he said quietly, looking past her and at the wall behind her. "I didn't see you there. I need…" his words drifted off as he stood up and started to walk away. He really didn't want to talk to one of Harry's friends right now.

"Dennis, I know it hurts, but at least the cause Colin died for succeeded. At least it wasn't for nothing," she said and Dennis paused for a moment, before continuing to walk away.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The silence was deafening.

In the Hufflepuff Common room, more often known as the Badger's Sett, was normally alive whenever Hufflepuff's were grieving. And the Hufflepuff's were grieving indeed. The Battle of Hogwarts had proved devastating to the Badgers who had been involved and yet they could not run. How could they call themselves Hufflepuff's and run when their friends needed them? Zacharias Smith may have disgraced the name of Hufflepuff and there would be a reckoning, but for now, Hufflepuff had to deal with it's grief. And it was grieving indeed.

Ernie Macmillan prided himself on being a good Hufflepuff, always willing to lend a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand where it was needed. And there were many in the Hufflepuff Common room that could use his help, but right now he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when his friend Justin Finch-Fetchley was dead.

Justin and Ernie had clicked right away. Together with Hannah, they practically made Hufflepuff's answer to the infamous Gryffindor trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione. (Who were still in one piece, Ernie noted bitterly.) True, they didn't find adventure under every stone as the Gryffindors did, but they were a permanent fixture to many Hufflepuffs. But no more. Justin had been killed in the closing stages of the battle, protecting a younger student who had snuck back in. The younger student had survived. Justin had not.

As he sat there staring into a bottle of firewhisky (there were some advantages to being so close to the kitchens) he found he couldn't even hold his hand steady. Probably an after-effect of the battle. He certainly hadn't had time to be afraid during it.

"It's okay to cry you know," a familiar voice said and Ernie's hands began to shake even harder. Sweet, generous Hannah, the one person who would be missing Justin as much as he was and here she was comforting him. "A wise boy I know once told me that nobody is truly dead until the last person who knew them is gone," she told him firmly. "And it's true. Justin lives on through us and through his family and in the cause he fought for."

"You've been waiting a long time to throw those words back at me, haven't you?" he asked in a joking tone, although his voice still shook. Hannah gave him a sad smile.

"Ever since you told me it," she replied. "It's absolutely true though."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The silence was deafening.

The Ravenclaw Common room was often silent at this time of night. Even when there were people up and about, they were more interested in homework than conversation, although on some occasions one of their academic debates would go on through the night and arguments could still be heard.

For Padma Patil, those debates felt like they would never happen again. At times passionate and vivid and Merlin knew she had gotten angry with her opponent on more than one occasion, but now it seemed so…pointless. Especially now that her principle opponent and greatest rival at Hogwarts was now dead.

Some people would have said she should have been happy that Lisa Turpin was dead. Certainly there was no love lost between the two of them as more than one Ravenclaw could testify. It seemed at times that whatever position Padma took, Lisa would take the opposite side. Padma could have sworn she did it to annoy her.

But instead of feeling a sense of relief or grim satisfaction at her rival's death, all Padma felt was a gnawing sense of loss. It was like she had lost a part of herself when Lisa died and she still hadn't found it.

"You miss her, don't you?" said and Padma snorted contemptuously.

"Miss who?" she asked with what was meant to be a sneer, except her voice broke and Stephen shrugged.

"Lisa of course," he said gently, before giving a sad chuckle. "The two of you fought worse than Godric and Salazar, but the two of you needed one another more than you realised."

"That's ridiculous!" Padma protested, even though she knew it was true. Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"Not as ridiculous as you like to claim," he said knowingly and he stretched out his hand. "If you want to talk…"

There was a moment of silence as Padma digested what he was saying. Finally she stood up.

"I'll think about it," she said as she walked up to the girls dorms.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The silence was deafening.

For many members of the House of Slytherin's, the future looked particularly grim. Most of them had backed the Dark Lord and his cause, or at least their families had and many now had to face an uncertain future at the hands of the victors. Not without reason were so many of them scared and fearful. The majority of their members had been known as cruel, sneering and wilfully nasty to the other members of the school. Some might say that it was revenge for the way the other houses had treated them, but they doubted that would be taken into consideration. And so, it was an uneasy silence that pervaded the atmosphere in the Slytherin Common room.

For Daphne Greengrass, most of these concerns didn't apply. Unlike many of her fellow Slytherin's, she had resisted Voldemort and the Carrows with intelligence work, spying and hidden sabotage that couldn't be traced. Like any good Slytherin who fought for the DA and the light in general, she fought from the shadows. And as a way of avoiding pain, it worked extremely well. To the outside world, she was a typically nasty pure-blood bigot and that was her best defence. To the few people who knew her true allegiance, she was a silent hero.

None of that actually mattered to her right now. Hero, villain, good Slytherin or bad, it didn't matter. What mattered was that her mother was dead.

According to witnesses, her mother had been fighting Theodore Nott's father and was holding her own when suddenly Bellatrix Lestrange hit her from behind with a killing curse. Precisely when and where this happened, nobody knew for sure, but there was no doubting her mother's death. When Daphne had seen the body, she was almost sick on the spot. And now, she had to be strong for the sake of her little sister.

But despite protesting that she should be strong, she couldn't stop tears rolling down her cheeks. Tear, after tear, after tear, they ran like a flooded river.

"You're not the only one to have lost your mother," Theodore Nott said to her sharply and she glared at him. How dare he interfere with her grief! He didn't seem to notice and merely sat down beside her.

"I'd rather you didn't-" she began, but Theo cut through her.

"I bet if everyone wasn't so worried about what's going to happen next, they'd tear you apart," he said and Daphne frowned in annoyance. It was indeed true that Slytherin was merciless, but did he have to mention it? A part of her wanted to tell him to go away and leave her alone, but her Slytherin part warned her against it. After all, if he was talking to her about it, it meant that he expected something in return. Daphne however was in no mood to dance around the subject.

"What is it you want Theodore?" she asked aggressively and Theodore put his hand around her arms.

"I just want you to know that it gets better. Not completely, but better," he said comfortingly. "Although if you tell anyone what I said, I'll officially deny it of course."

"Of course," Daphne said back with a small smile, feeling a little better for Theo's words.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The silence was deafening.

In homes across the country, owls came bearing letters to families bearing letters with bad news. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, all received the bad news.

Some responded with disbelief and denial. Others with stunned silence as the words on the parchment failed to sink in. But for all who received those owls, there was a universal theme of pain and hurt and who could blame them? Little wonder that amongst the celebrations and cheers, their homes were silent.


End file.
